Vibrio cholerae: a pathogen shared by human and aquatic animals
Authors: Yuhua Chen, Xiaohui Ai, Yibin Yang
Journal: The Lancet Microbe (2022)

Vibrio cholerae, an important zoonotic bacterium, widely exists in various bodies of water and has been reported to infect aquatic animals. V cholerae, particularly non-O1 and non-O serogroups, can infect fish, shrimp, and other aquatic animals. However, the O1 serogroup has also been reported in fish1Hossain ZZ Farhana I Tulsiani SM Begum A Jensen PKM Transmission and toxigenic potential of Vibrio cholerae in hilsha fish (Tenualosa ilisha) for human consumption in Bangladesh.Front Microbiol. 2018; 9: 222Crossref PubMed Scopus (21) Google Scholar, 2Hounmanou YMG Mdegela RH Dougnon TV et al.Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as a putative reservoir host for survival and transmission of Vibrio cholerae O1 biotype El Tor in the aquatic environment.Front Microbiol. 2019; 101215Crossref Scopus (7) Google Scholar and O139 reported in loach and shrimp.3Joseph TC Murugadas V Reghunathan D Shaheer P Akhilnath PG Lalitha KV Isolation and characterization of Vibrio cholerae O139 associated with mass mortality in Penaeus monodon and experimental challenge in postlarvae of three species of shrimp.Aquaculture. 2015; 442: 44-47Crossref Scopus (16) Google Scholar, 4Chen K Liang LG Xie J Isolation, identification and drug sensitive test of pathogenic Vibrio cholerae isolated from Misgurnus anguillicaudatus.Chin J Prev Vet Med. 2016; 38: 49-52Google Scholar V cholerae can grow and reproduce in aquaculture water and in aquatic animals during infection, and can colonise and persist in fish intestine and destroy fish cell lines.2Hounmanou YMG Mdegela RH Dougnon TV et al.Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as a putative reservoir host for survival and transmission of Vibrio cholerae O1 biotype El Tor in the aquatic environment.Front Microbiol. 2019; 101215Crossref Scopus (7) Google Scholar, 5Runft DL Mitchell KC Abuaita BH et al.Zebrafish as a natural host model for Vibrio cholerae colonization and transmission.Appl Environ Microbiol. 2014; 80: 1710-1717Crossref PubMed Scopus (61) Google Scholar This can lead to animal disease, which can pollute the water body, appearing as diffusion. Therefore, aquatic animals and the water environment can be important carriers of this pathogen, and a potential source of transmission.6Halpern M Izhaki I Fish as hosts of Vibrio cholerae.Front Microbiol. 2017; 8: 282Crossref PubMed Scopus (59) Google Scholar V cholerae from aquatic animals can be transmitted via three routes: birds, food, and environmental pollution.7Laviad-Shitrit S Sharaby Y Izhaki I Peretz A Halpern M Antimicrobial susceptibility of environmental non-O1/Non-O139 Vibrio cholerae isolates.Front Microbiol. 2018; 91726Crossref PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar For instance, aquatic animals, such as small fish and shrimp, in open aquaculture systems can be eaten by birds that can then carry and spread this pathogen.8Laviad-Shitrit S Izhaki I Halpern M Accumulating evidence suggests that some waterbird species are potential vectors of Vibrio cholerae.PLoS Pathog. 2019; 15e1007814Crossref PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar The serotypes of V cholerae that infect aquatic animals are mainly non-O1 and non-O139 groups. In fact, 42·4% of cases of V cholerae that infect humans are caused by eating aquatic animals.9Li X Wu Y Sun X et al.Non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae bacteraemia in mainland China from 2005 to 2019: clinical, epidemiological and genetic characteristics.Epidemiol Infect. 2020; 148: e186Crossref PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar Although researchers have detected V cholerae in aquatic products, there is no strict quarantine system for aquatic animals, and there are some policy loopholes about cultures and sales. In terms of aquaculture wastewater, although strict discharge standards have been formulated due to extensive aquaculture, relaxed supervision results in inevitable environmental pollution, leading to the spread of pathogens. Current research indicates that O1 and O139 were found in fish and shrimp, a dangerous signal of a highly critical situation.2Hounmanou YMG Mdegela RH Dougnon TV et al.Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as a putative reservoir host for survival and transmission of Vibrio cholerae O1 biotype El Tor in the aquatic environment.Front Microbiol. 2019; 101215Crossref Scopus (7) Google Scholar, 3Joseph TC Murugadas V Reghunathan D Shaheer P Akhilnath PG Lalitha KV Isolation and characterization of Vibrio cholerae O139 associated with mass mortality in Penaeus monodon and experimental challenge in postlarvae of three species of shrimp.Aquaculture. 2015; 442: 44-47Crossref Scopus (16) Google Scholar Wild animals have always been considered natural reservoirs of pathogens.10Wolfe ND Dunavan CP Diamond J Origins of major human infectious diseases.Nature. 2007; 447: 279-283Crossref PubMed Scopus (955) Google Scholar Many severe human infectious diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and Ebola virus disease, are transmitted from wild animals. SARS-CoV-2 was also possibly derived from wild animals. The open culture mode of aquatic animals is similar to the living environment of wild animals. This type of setting is mostly uncontrollable and can become a natural reservoir of pathogens that spread rapidly through water sources, birds, and aquatic products, which is more dangerous than terrestrial animals.7Laviad-Shitrit S Sharaby Y Izhaki I Peretz A Halpern M Antimicrobial susceptibility of environmental non-O1/Non-O139 Vibrio cholerae isolates.Front Microbiol. 2018; 91726Crossref PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar Therefore, public health departments should pay attention to zoonosis, formulate corresponding prevention plans, improve the supervision measures of aquatic products, improve the treatment of aquaculture wastewater, and strictly implement the discharge standard of aquaculture wastewater, to avoid disaster. We hope that society will pay attention to the relationship between V cholerae and humans. This research was supported by Wuhan Talents Plan (2021), Central Public-Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (YFI202209), Yancheng Fishery High Quality Development Project (YCSCYJ2021026), and China Agriculture Research System (CARS-46). We sincerely thank anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that lead to an improved manuscript. YC and XA contributed equally. We declare no competing interests.